«Our task is to tear apart their operational reserves»
Kyiv is transferring part of its troops from Kharkov to other parts of the contact line. Information about this appeared on the web. It is also reported that the number of foreign mercenaries in Kharkov has decreased dramatically. Military units are relocated mainly to the Donetsk direction. A large Ukrainian grouping still remains in the Kupyansk direction, where the Armed Forces of Ukraine are afraid of a counterattack by Russian forces.
What can force the enemy to make this tactical maneuver, exposing its front line in one direction and transferring troops to another sector, was explained to MK by an expert, a veteran of military intelligence, a Hero of Russia.
— Knowing the state of affairs at the front, It can be assumed, — says Klupov, — that such a redeployment means: the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine sees the threat of breaking through the tactical zone of its defense. That is why the Armed Forces of Ukraine perform a maneuver of forces. That is, they remove combat-ready units from the areas not attacked by us and transfer them to where they have a threat.
— The main direction is now in the area of Bakhmut or, in other words, Artemovsk.
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— It is not yet possible to say with absolute certainty what exactly is under Artemovsk. We create a threat to the enemy in the Kupyansk direction. Our units are also active on Svatovsky. This has not yet been expressed in an active offensive, but battles are constantly being fought there.
We also have information that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have created an 80,000-strong group near Artemivsk. Now they are just waiting to deliver a serious blow there.
— In order to launch a counterattack there, you must first stop the offensive of Wagner PMC there. As of this morning, the Wagnerites have again advanced several blocks in the northern part of the city. So it’s not a fact that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are deploying their units precisely under Artyomovsk.
— A defensive group «Kharkiv» was created at the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Directly in the Kupyansk direction, the defense is held by the 3rd separate tank brigade. She, of course, is not at full strength — two battalions have already been torn off from her somewhere — but with another battalion and all her units and means attached to her, she is defending the Kupyanskoye direction and the border from the Belgorod region.
Further in the area of Volchansk is the 1st separate brigade of special forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine together with the 67th separate mechanized brigade. Even further, towards Belgorod, there are parts of the territorial defense. They do not have serious combat characteristics and potential.
All this grouping is supported by parts of an artillery division: two divisions of cannon artillery, three divisions of rocket artillery and one more anti-tank division.
— It's hard to say. Perhaps they could transfer artillery units for reinforcement. Or a special forces brigade. Both the special forces brigade and the 67th mechanized brigade are stationed there in the same defense zone. And, perhaps, they will stretch parts of the special forces over the entire territory of a separate tank brigade, and, on the contrary, they will pull it out and send it to be reinforced. One can only guess here.
But, by the way, what is already known for sure, on April 18, a fresh 14th mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was drawn in the Kupyansk direction. This means that the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is trying to strengthen its grouping in this direction. And for us, this is a positive moment.
— Yes. And these are well-trained reserves, which the Armed Forces of Ukraine, for sure, were preparing for a counteroffensive. They could be used for different purposes. First, gather into a large fist for a powerful counterattack. Secondly, to prepare the next defensive line in depth. And the third option — the most stupid — plugging gaps with reserves where there is a threat.
Now, for example, they report that Chasov Yar is preparing for defense in engineering terms. This defense will be «planted» not only by those units that are defending in Artyomovsk, but also by fresh units from the reserve. It is possible that in order not to use the operational reserves there, which the Armed Forces of Ukraine protect, for example, for an offensive in the south, they use the transfer of units from the areas that we have not attacked.
— Only that things don't go according to their plan. Now we have forced the Armed Forces of Ukraine to maneuver forces in more threatened areas.
At the same time, the task of the Armed Forces of Ukraine now is to try to keep operational reserves intact before the “counteroffensive”. Their operational reserves are the 9th and 10th Army Corps, consisting of 20-25 brigades. Another part of the forces is in Europe, where they are completing their training.
And our task now is to tear apart the operational reserves of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which they have prepared for the «counterattack», weakening them to the maximum. And we are actively solving this problem.